Locking device.



K. EARTH.

LOCKING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 8, 1914.

Patented May 26, 1914.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH (IO-,WASRINQTON. D. C.

KARL EARTH, OF ESSEN-O1\TTHE-RUHR, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO FRIED. KRUEP AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT, OE ESSEN-ON-THE-RUHR,

LOCKING DEVICE.

upon lockin devices such as described in my co-penc ing application, Serial No. 784,932, filed August 15, 1913, according to which the locking member stands in positive connection with the hand lever during the greater portion of the unlocking movement, so that an important part of the pressure exerted upon the locking member by the dumping door and the load, during approximately the entire duration of the unlocking movement, is transmitted to the hand lever. In such locking devices, if the operator serving the hand lever does not throw the hand 7 lever from the closed to the open position with sufficient rapidity, he is liable to be injured by the pressure imposed upon the hand lever.

The present invention aims to do away with this objectionable condition by so con- I structing and arranging the locking member that the positive connection between it and the hand lever will be relieved and an automatic unlocking will take place, independently of the hand lever as soon as the hand lever has been rotated from the position of rest through a comparatively small angle in the direction of unlocking.

In the accompanying drawing, one embodiment of the subject matter of the invention is shown by way of example in an automatic unloader designed for discharging to one side, and which corresponds throughout with the automatic unloader described in the co-pending application above identified.

In said drawing :Figure 1 is a transverse section of the self-unloading car with the dumping door in the closed position; Fig. 2

1s a similar view with the hand lever and the dumping door in an intermediate position; and Figs 3 and 1 are detail views showing modified connections between the Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 8, 1914.

Patented May as, 1914.

Serial No. 811,079.

counterweights (Z and crank arms or carrying members (Z fixed thereon, E the locking members preferably in the form of pawls, which are pivotally mounted upon the free ends of the crank arms (F, G the common 7 driving shaft, 9 the controlling member in the form of crank arms rigidly fixed upon said driving shaft, g the hand levers rigidly ing members or pawls in so far as they are,

in the present construction in the form of pawls with sickle-formed free ends adapted to engage the controlling members through the medium of the outer faces 0 which are curved in an are about the center M, so that when moved above their said deflected faces 6 the controlling members or crank arms 9 will release the locking members to automatic unlocking action under the influence of the load upon the door. Furthermore, the center of gravity S of each locking pawl E is located, when the mechanism is in the position of rest, to the right of an imaginary vertical plane passing through the turning axis of the locking pawls, so that the latter stand with the surfaces 6 of their free ends continually in impingement against friction rollers F provided on the free ends of the crank arms 9 The parts are so proportioned that in the locking, position of the mechanism illus trated in Fig. 1, the hand levers 9 rest upon the upper side of the framework H and the crank arm 6Z2 rests, under the influence of :the counterweights 6Z1, against the under side of the car body A. At the same time, thelocking pawls, actuated by the pressure of the dumping door C and the load, rest with the surfaces 6 of their free ends against the friction rollers F in such manner that the center of curvature M will be located slightly above the plane of symmetry of each crank arm 9 In consequence of this arrangement, the locking pawls E on the one hand seek to turn the crank arms 9' and through them the hand lever 9 in the direction of the arrow m (Fig. 1), and on the other hand, seek to turn the crank arms (Z in the direction of the arrow 3 (Fig. 1). Since the effect of the gravity upon the hand levers g and the counterbalances d is thus increased, it presses the former down upon the upper side of the framework 11 and the crank arms 6Z2 against the under side of the car body A. Inasmuch as the hand levers g and the crank arms (Z are unable to turn in the described direction, any unlocking movement of the locking pawlsis precluded.

In consequence of the peculiar form of the free ends of the locking pawls E, as soon as the hand levers g are rotated in the opposite direction to the arrow w a small distance, the locking pawls will be in such a forceclosed connection to the sliding rollers F that even with the hand levers g held stationary, they can move, under the pressure of the dumping door C and the load in opposition to the effect of the counterweights (Z out of the path of the dumping door 0. Moreover, the parts are arranged in such a way, that the locking pawls E, while the hand levers 9 lie upon the framework H, can be forced away from the path of the dumping door C by this door in the same manner as described in the previous application when the dumping door swings from the open to the closed position.

The delineation of the method of operation of the described apparatus will proceed from the closed position illustrated in Fig. 1. In this position, the pressure imposed upon the dumping door is transmitted to the mechanism in such manner that under the action of this pressure, the free ends 6 of the locking pawls E are pressed against the slide rollers F, the hand levers g against the underframe H, and the crank arms (Z against the under side of the car body A, so that the locking pawls E cannot move. The dumping door U is thus secured in a veryeffective manner against unintentional opening.

If the dumping door is to be swung into the open position, one of the two hand levers g is rotated through a small angle, for example, to the position illustrated in Fig. 2. The locking pawls E will thereby assume such a position relatively to the crank arms 9 carrying the slide rollers F and relatively to the crank arms (P, that said looking pawls, while the crank arms (Z simulta-' neously turning opposite to the direction of the arrow 3 pass out of the path of the dumping door even though the hand levers be held stationary. The dumping door,

being adapted to rotate about the shaft B and being no longer restrained by the looking pawls, swings immediately to the open position. The illustration in Fig. 2 is, for the sake of perspicuity, selected on the asthrough means of the link F).

sumption that the rotation of the crank arms (Z can take place only after the hand lever g has attained the designated position of 35 deviation from the position of rest. The figure shows the positions of the individual operating parts immediately before the r0- tation of the crank arms d In actual practice, that part of the rotary movement of the crank arms (Z and of the unlocking movement of the locking pawls E, which takes place independently of further turning of the hand lever 9 starts when the hand lever has traveled a much shorter distance from the position of Fig. 1, than is illustrated in Fig. 2.

As soon as the dumping door C has swung to the open position, the hand lever g and through it the entire train of parts are moved back to the position of Fig. 1, as will be readily understocd without any further explanation.

The transfer of the dumping door from the open to the closed position takes place in a manner entirely like that incident to the embodiment illustrated in the previous application referred to, namely in pushing the door to its lower edge against the beveled nose of the pawls E, thereby pushing the parts E and (Z out of the path. As soon as the door has been fully closed, these parts fall back into the position shown in Fig. 1.

In the embodiment selected for illustration the locking pawls E stand in forceclosed' connection with the crank arms through the medium of the slide rollers F;

the principle of the invention will not be departed from, however, if instead of the force-closed connection corresponding to the illustrative embodiment, a pair-closed connection F (Fig. 3), were employed in the embodiment of the application above identified that embodiment Likewise, the operative parts of the surface e in the forcible locking connection, instead of being in the form of an are (a curve of constant radius), can be formed on a curve of (contained in changing radius (for example, a parabola),

as shown at F (Fig. 1) without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim 1. A locking means for the dumping doors of unloaders comprising a locking member, a carrying member upon which said locking member is mounted and by which it is adapted to be carried to and from a position in the path of the door to be se cured, and a controlling member normally in a position to resist both the independent movement of the locking member and the carrying movement of the carrying member, but removable from said position to release the locking member.

2. In a securing device for a vertically swinging door, a pivoted locking member having a projection on one side of its pivot adapted to engage and support the free end of the door and having an extension on the other side of its pivot, a carrying mem ber on which said locking member is pivoted, said carrying member being movable to carry the locking member to and from locking position, and a controlling member interposed in the oscillating path of said extension and movable from said path to release the locking member for unlocking the door.

3. A securing device for dumping doors comprising a locking member adapted to sustain the weight of the door, a carrying member on which said locking member is mounted to oscillate adapted to carry the locking member to and from looking position, and a controlling member in the oscillating path; said locking member having an independent latching movement on. the carrying member in a direction to recede from the controlling member in the closing of the door.

4. In a dumping door securing device, a locking member having a door securing end and a controlling extension, a carrying member pivotally connected to said locking member at a point intermediate of the extension and door securing end, and a pivvoted controlling member engaging, when at rest, said extension in a direction to resist movement of the locking member and through it, movement of the carrying member in the direction of releasing the door; said extension being constructed to be released by said controlling member, upon a slight movement of the latter.

5. A locking device for dumping doors comprising a latch member sustaining the pressure of the door, a journaled carrying member upon which said latch member is pivoted, said latch member having a cam surface; a driving shaft with a crank arm, said arm engaging with said cam surface; whereby said arm when at rest, is able to hold said latch member in looking position, and in door releasing position upon a slight movement of the arm.

6. A locking device for dumping doors comprising a latch member sustaining the pressure of the door, a journaled carrying member upon which said latch member is pivoted, said carrying member having a counterweight and said latch member having a cam surface; a driving shaft with a crank arm, said arm having a friction roller engaging with said cam surface; whereby said arm when at rest is able to hold said latch member in locking position, and in door releasing position upon a slight move ment of the arm; and said carrying member is able to withdraw said latch member from looking position when hand operated independently of said arm.

The foregoing specification signed at Barmen, Germany, this 18th day of December, 1913.

KARL EARTH. [L. S.] In presence of HELEN Nome, FRANCES NUFER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

